NAII Supporting Stricter State Legislative Guidelines for Drug Oxycontin

The National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII) announced its support recently of state legislative initiatives to establish stronger guidelines for distribution of prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin and suggested that better education of the public and policymakers on the negative consequences of Oxycontin abuse is needed.

Oxycontin was originally approved by the FDA to treat severe pain for terminal cancer patients but is now prescribed widely as a painkiller for other afflictions. In the workers’ compensation system, it ranks as the second most prescribed drug in terms of dollars spent, according to insurers.

NAII’s Workers’ Compensation Committee met earlier this year to discuss the growing abuse of Oxycontin, including abuse by individuals who are addicts, illegal sale of the drug and lack of information on its potential negative consequences when not properly used.

“In some states, including California and Oregon, Oxycontin represents about 10 percent of the workers’ compensation prescription costs in those states,” said NAII vice president of Workers’ Compensation Nancy Schroeder. “The committee said that rampant abuse of the drug has escalated in part because of its huge resale potential because it provides an effect similar to heroin when ground before taking. The Committee supports legislation in all states to provide tighter guidelines under which this drug may be prescribed and for clearer safeguards once it is prescribed.”

Schroeder also said that the number of prescriptions as well as the cost of the drug has increased over the last several years. “However our committee emphasized that the real concern here is not one of costs but of the impact on the injured workers and society in general,” continued Schroeder.

According to Schroeder, some member companies sited a large increase in the number of prescriptions for Oxycontin and instances where the drug was prescribed to individuals with a history of addiction problems.

“In some states, such as Florida, deaths from prescription drug overdoses are higher than deaths from overdoses of cocaine and heroin,” said Schroeder.

“Abuse of oxycodone and hydrocodone, the generics of Oxycontin, continue to rise along with a surge in methadone abuse. The dilemma in all of this is how to stop the abuse while allowing those workers that legitimately need the drug for pain relief to get it.”

A study by the National Council of Compensation Insurance (NCCI) identified the top 10 prescribed drugs in workers’ compensation as:

• Celebrex, anti-inflammatory, generic not available;
• Oxycontin, a pain killer, generic not available;
• Vioxx, anti-inflammatory, generic not available;
• Hydrocodone, pain killer, a generic;
• Neurontin, painkiller, generic no available, Ultram, painkiller, generic is available;
• Carisoprodol, muscle relaxant, generic available;
• Cyclobenzaprine, muscle relaxant, generic; and
• Soma, muscle relaxant, generic available.

NAII Committee members expressed a willingness to work with the media in an effort to educate the public and public officials and to support legislation in individual states that address the critical issue of stricter guidelines for prescriptions written and monitoring of patients that use Oxycontin.

Topics Workers' Compensation